The Problem With Fortnite’s Doctor Doom
this is just like that tiktok in the pool
As scheduled, a new Fortnite season is upon us. What has now become synonymous with huge changes, tons of new loot, and the rudder that steers an entire community, a new season is a time for change. This time was no different, although there is a greater excitement due to the large Marvel tie-in: Nexus War. And as always, with great excitement comes great expectations. A week in, we’ve got to address the villain in the room.
Previous Fortnite seasons have given us multiple, in-universe bosses. Midas, Kit, and the gang have all had different locations to attack and loot to obtain. It’s a fun mechanic that allows for a bit more PvE than in the battle royale’s past seasons. It also allowed for players to be a bit more strategic with where they landed. Rather than just dropping where most players are, or dropping where there’s known chests, boss pits gave a third option where players could warm up on the AI characters and get equipped before they faced off against the mob.
So far, Nexus War has changed that. Last season’s bosses, henchman, and loot are gone (although their locations remain), and they’ve been replaced with one lone individual: Doctor Doom. He’s taken over Pleasant Park and turned the town into one big base, which while exciting, does leave a lot more to be desired.
Over the past week Doom’s Domain has become the place where an overwhelming percent of matches seem to start and end (subject to the whims of the storm). This means that those that land first have the best chance at obtaining Doctor Doom’s loot, and those that don’t have to work harder to trudge across the map (and that Victory Royale).
Hopefully, future weeks will provide a shift and allow gameplay to cover the island more, as in the past. We do know that this season is building up to Galactus arriving on the island. But right now, like we encountered with The Authority, gameplay is too centralized and is requiring players to adopt a more run-and-gun approach to try and get that top spot. That doesn’t allow for different gameplay styles, and is ultimately a problem that Epic will need to face sooner rather than later.